Currently, there is a promotion for “Bonus Stars” if you are using your registered Starbucks card to pay with your purchases, after 2:00 p.m. The promotion runs now through September 4, 2013. I have seen a ton of conversation on Twitter and Facebook already about this promo, but I thought that just in case my readers hadn’t heard of this, it would be good to pass along. Bonus stars are always a good thing! 🙂
As a reminder, to participate in My Starbucks Rewards, grab any Starbucks gift card, load money on it, register it at Starbucks.com/card, and then use it to pay for your purchases. All your rewards and perks are associated with your profile at Starbucks.com/card not that specific individual card – this means that you can additional cards to your profile, and still receive all your benefits. You must track your own rewards.
From what I know, this promotion is happening both in the United States and Canada. Typically, when Starbucks does “Bonus Stars” promotions (for example, this spring there was an at-home coffee bonus stars promo) it is open to ALL My Starbucks Rewards – you do not have to be at the “Gold” level of perks to earn bonus stars. The same is true this time too – this current promotion is open to all My Starbucks Rewards members.
I simply wanted my readers to be aware of this opportunity to earn more stars on their purchases! Be enrolled in My Starbucks Rewards, pay for your purchases after 2:00 p.m., and the promotion ends September 4th.
Last but not least, there is a Seahawks Starbucks Card launching soon in stores. If you are a football fan, this might be a collectible card for you. I assume, as always, it will be a limited production card.
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I joined today and bought an iced coffee, and received a bonus star…so it appears to be all levels of rewards!
The much bigger thing that jumps to me about this promotion is how much of it is really a stealth test of giving multiple Stars in one transaction.
@tim – I get what you’re saying. Maybe you are right. But Starbucks has offered bonus stars a couple of times. There was a bonus stars promo in January this year – for oatmeal. It’s one the new ‘blueberry oatmeal’ launched and so it seems it just to get people to try it. And then, there was the at-home coffee bonus stars (2 stars for any Starbucks at-home coffee purchase), and then this one.
I was so excited to see the current promotions email in my inbox yesterday and hoped right on over to my local store to finally try an Evolution Fresh juice (Sweet Greens & Lemon) and snag a pack of Valencia Orange Refreshers VIA for 50% off. Just now realized the deal is only valid after 2 PM and cannot remember whether my visit was afterwards or just shy of 2 PM. Tried to check my rewards transactions online, but for some reason I’m not able to see stars information…everything else, yes, but not the stars. Anyone else having that problem? Oh well, I’ll be sure to visit again this weekend in the later afternoon and maybe pick up another Refreshers VIA pack while they’re 50% off. I saw that the PSL are here early this year, but I’m trying to hold off until it’s closer to Autumn to drink the first one of the season (it’s still 90+ degrees in these parts of the U.S.). Have a fun & safe Labor Day holiday!
Glad you mentioned this latest bonus star promo, Melody. I didn’t get an email even though I am signed up for them. I get texts sometimes but nothing about this. And I want an Indianapolis Colts card!! If Starbucks can do this for Seattle then they should do it for all the teams.
This was nice to find in my email box especially since there is no signage in the stores about it and today when I asked the SM about why no signs he just laughed and said there are already too many signs! So was this email sent out to all registered card users?
Oh Melody, I’m not a Seahawks fan but that’s ONE. SWEET. CARD.
As for the star promotion, I’m always happy to get a free drink in half the time even as a partner. It’d be nice if this led to “weighted” transactions where maybe a seasonal frappuccino or tumbler was worth more stars. Or more stars based on total dollar value? I guess we’ll wait and see.
Thanks for pointing out the bonus star promo. And I’ll definitely pick up a Seahawks card or two!
@RobbF – Actually, I have always thought that partners who make the most of the rewards program will always have lunch! You can use that reward on food. At least, I know that if I worked at Starbucks, I would be sure to be a part of My Starbucks Rewards -hypothetically, at some point you’re buying things with your partner discount, and why not earn stars towards free food? You may get a free beverage (or a few) during your shift, but that panani won’t be free. Do you know what I mean?
@LatteRose – You are welcome! Good to see you here again at the blog!
As a SM I always use my registered card for purchases. My Everything Bagel that I have for a snack most mornings is a nice, inexpensive purchase that gets me a star every time. I save up those rewards for sandwiches or expensive espresso drinks when I’m treating friends or family when I’m not at work (I don’t treat myself because I’m a black coffee drinker, and that’s a waste of a perfectly good free drink!)
@ChrisW – I wish and hope that more SMs would encourage all their partners to get enrolled in MSR. Once in a while, I have partners look at my like I have 2 heads: Why would I do that? I get a weekly markout & free beverages before, during, and after my shift (30 min window) … But I think, those partners are missing out on a free lunch! And I love your idea, what a nice way to treat others too.
Hi Melody!
You are right, as a partner I generally earn stars by buying snacks or day off drinks. Then I save my rewards for lunch sandwiches 🙂 my rewards aren’t loading today but I will let you know if I got the bonus stars as I still haven’t received the email and I did get a different offer.
@Becca – What offer did you get? You got a different offer?
By the way, the “official Starbucks spokesperson” whom I emailed did email me back – this promo IS for ALL levels of My Starbucks Rewards. I was surprised to get an email back during the long weekend, so I quickly updated the article to reflect this is open to all MSR members.
I really encourage all my partners to register their partner cards as Starbucks Cards as soon as they receive them. That way, they get in the habit of having one single card to display for their discount and payment all at once. I use the iPhone app too, so I don’t even have to worry about a physical card.
Incidentally, I closed my store last night, and while I brought a sandwich for my dinner, I did buy a bag of chips so I should see a bonus star for that purchase!
This is another case where emails did not go to all cardholders. I did not receive the email, but my wife, daughter, and son did. I did get a bonus star so it is not contingent on receiving the email.
Here are a couple more recent examples of emails not going to all card holders in my family:
– A Frappuccino® BOGO from 8/28 to 9/3; me, my son, my wife, not my daughter
– The high priced Swarovski mug; only my daughter
Is everybody watching the Starbucks Card account page via the Internet? There have been a couple of “contests” at the bottom of the Rewards page. These contests cannot be entered via the iPhone or Android Apps, only using account access via an Internet Browser.
Dad cooks I agree that not everyone seems to be getting all the emails. I did get this one and the tumbler one but do not recall the frap one. Perhaps because I do not get fraps? Quickly looking at the contests on the site, they seem a bit too involved and I skipped over them.
I actually think there should be store signs about this after 2 pm double star rewards promo.
I did receive the email announcing the bonus points prom and yes, Dad Cooks I have noticed the contests on the bottom of SB website pages.
That is ONE.SWEET.CARD! I may need to ask a Seattle resident to pick one up for me…
Thanks for spreading the word Mel…
What contests do you mean? On my phone so short & sloppy. It just occurred to me that the rewards page defaults to a nice mobile view. I notice these things. One thing about this site is that it is not responsive to a mobile device http://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards
@Melody – none of Starbucks web pages format well on smartphones or small tablets, no matter what browser you try.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (10.1 refers to the diagonal screen size, and how is that catchy product name 😉 ) and it displays Starbucks web pages just fine in all the major Android browsers, both in native Android and when I tell the browser to render pages in “desktop” format view. That desktop format view is unreadable on small screens.
Starbucks really needs to do a major rewrite of their sites, so that it makes no difference what device or operating system you are using. Any programer that cannot do that is 5-years behind the times and needs retire or get up-to-date.
Forgot to mention the “contests”.
Just ended (8/21 to 8/28) was:
Starbucks Care Package Sweepstakes Entry
25 My Starbucks Rewards members will receive a Starbucks Care Package containing: 1 opportunity #tobeapartner pen, 1 opportunity coffee sleeve, 1 lb of coffee, 1 Starbucks mug and 1 copy of Onward by Howard Schultz.
And prior to that was a contest to win a base Verismo.
Love the NFL card so much! Does anyone know if other cities are getting NFL cards??
I didn’t get an email either (also didn’t get any alert/message on the app) so thanks for the heads-up!
@DadCooks @Leslee – Weird. I have never noticed those contests and don’t see them now at the bottom of Starbucks.com or http://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards – So weird. Thanks for finding those and passing them on. I’m just puzzled I never saw them.
Interesting conversation – I can talk about websites and blogs and backlinks and page rank and marketing and traffic till the cows go home. Unfortunately, I can’t code. Not at all. My brain isn’t wired to do that. I can write, and write, and write, and write some more.
This website – StarbucksMelody.com – has problems! But paying professional web designers to make changes to a blog is expensive. I’m in the wrong line of business. Given how much professional web designers/coders charge, I think they make more than lawyers! LOL. I’m exaggerating a little.
Of course, when we are talking about Starbucks, they can afford to do whatever they want with their site.
This site loads slowly. It is not mobile friendly at all – if you are viewing StarbucksMelody.com on a phone, you’ll constantly being doing that stretch-pinch thing with your fingers. By the way, originally, the recent comment feature had the beginning of what the person said, but that had required custom coding when this site was set up. I think wordpress is amazingly powerful. I really do. Just wish I had thousands to spend on an overhaul of this site.
In contrast, look at my Squarespace site – http://melodyeats.com/ – that looks great on a mobile device.
When I was looking at the rewards page, it created a clean mobile presentation. Same is true for Starbucks.com – looks pretty good on my Android phone. Though, I would prefer that Starbucks steer away from too much Java on their site. And, I still wish it were easier to change your default card.
Ugh – but in a Squarespace blog, managing images is more difficult, and you can’t do some basics like created a bullet list within an article. And, without custom coding, (which I can’t afford to pay for) there is no way show recent comments.
By the way, on my FB page for this blog, one person suggested that if Starbucks says fewer emails, it saves money. I am a little confused about that because I am not sure how sending emails costs money, but I guess at the scale Starbucks is sending emails, it costs storage?? I don’t know.
Well, I did get this email but have not received any promo things since..I cannot remember when. I’m glad for this bonus star deal but, as has been pointed out, it would be nice if they could update/upgrade, up…anything…their MSR site. At this time of double stars, all I can ever see is a partial view of the dates, no stars and incorrect rewards.
I also know a couple people who are constantly receiving promo offers, as in: $1.00 off any espresso drink, $2.00 an espresso drink, the BOGO frappuccino thing. It’s endless. Half the time they either don’t see them, or let them expire..something I would never do, even if it meant buying it for someone else. I get it that Sbux realizes they’ve already “got” me, but still, it’s annoying to not be rewarding the most loyal….. same old story. (and, like many here I am sure, I became this loyal w/out any rewards or enticements that exist today: just some good bold coffee and an occasional pastry!)
@Melody – the contests/sweepstakes only show up when you are logged into your Starbucks Card Account Home Page and they are at the bottom of the page, called Rewards+. Since the current one is over and if you did not enter it, the Rewards+ may not show until the next contests/sweepstakes.
I can understand your frustrations with WordPress doing one thing and SquareSpace doing another. These sites are trying to become less “programmer centric” and more “creator centric”. They have come a long way in just a couple of years, but still room.
Personally, your blog does not load slowly for me. Part of that though is a function of my devices, configuration, and access. On your smartphone, you may have a lot running in background that you are unaware of. That is using your limited bandwidth and can make even the best smartphone run like molasses, particularly the bloatware that your carrier has running that you probably never use.
@DadCooks-Thank you DadCooks. I see ways this blog could be improved (if I could code) but without a doubt, it functions okay enough as it is – people are still here reading and commenting, so I don’t see a rush to make changes.
I looked around MSR this morning. Logged in online- I had never noticed rewards+ before, but I will pay attention now! I generally pay for purchases with my card, but use the Android app to keep track of the number of rewards that I have available.
And stars are not loading right now. A few people have made such comments on the official Starbucks page – and I can’t get stars to load. I think when there is a promo, people get extra curious to see how many stars they have! Probably millions of people are trying to see their stars!
This promo was a favorite over the weekend. Especially because I am off for 3 days and enjoy the late afternoon pick me up! I did, however, notice a delay in stars, I purchased 2 drinks on Saturday, (2 different transactions) and only received 2 stars. Also have not received the Star Dash $5 either. So, I’m guessing things are delayed.
By the way, I like the Seahawks Starbucks card BUT I am in Pittsburgh and I’m a diehard Steelers fan! Any idea if a Steelers card will be floating around? If so, I’ll have to get one 🙂
I buy chips or a pastry every now and then when I’m at work to build up to my free reward. Then I treat myself during the week and get a chicken Santa Fe sandwich for lunch. Saves me money and time because I don’t have to pack my lunch in the morning! And bonus stars are so worth it! If I get off at 1:30p, I’ll hang around to get a snack just to get the stars.
Jocelyn told me about the new Seahawks card. I live just outside of Dallas and I would totally get a Cowboys card if they had it. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard about any of the other NFL cards.
Melody, I got the email for this contest but let the boat pass me by! I am worn out from all my travel! UGH!! I love the Seahawks card, BUT I am a Steeler all the way! Any other NFL teams on the horizon?
I usually work openings so I’m not there past 2 but now I’m going to make an effort just when out to stop by a store for a little something (which isn’t hard, even though it’s not my store, I have to drive by one to get pretty much anywhere from home, woo) to get more stars toward gold! I never even thought of it to build up for using the reward for sandwiches, that’s a seriously great idea.
Melody, you hit the nail on the head. I always use my MSR Free Reward for a lunch item. I love our salads and deli sandwiches but even with the partner discount they can be expensive to buy each shift.
As for the bonus stars promo, I love it. The opportunity to build the business throughout all day parts is huge and giving customers a value add for coming in (and ideally, coming BACK) during the afternoon/evening makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s a great way to see how much bonus stars move the needle as compared to BOGO or discount offers.
I’m curious as to whether or not any of your readers would be drawn back into a Starbucks in the afternoon based on the bonus stars offer that might not otherwise visit a Starbucks a second time in a day.
Thanks for the post.
I got the e-mails about the bonus stars (and the Pumpkin Spice Latte limited tumbler). I did make it a point to go tonight after dinner because of the bonus. So far, tonight’s transaction hasn’t appeared yet via mobile app under “Rewards,” but it does show the charge under the “Card/Manage/Recent Transactions.”
Regarding this site, I have no issues with loading or the speed, and mostly visit while on a mobile device. I think it has such a nice, clean layout, if I haven’t mentioned it to you before.
[By the way, PSL and another fall drink already available in the Los Angeles area. Also, saw the PSL tumbler and a limited-time promotion to get half off, plus the PSL mini-card.]
@DadCooks – Thanks for the heads up about contests. I had no idea, and usually don’t log in, relying on the app for notices and reward status.
@TheKwan – Sorry that I am just now replying to you. I’m glad to hear this site works well for you. I still think it could have much improved mobile device responsive layout.
It’s funny, but around here everything is so strict. Baristas really do not start sampling, selling, or talking about much of anything early. Yesterday (one day now before the launch) I engaged a partner on a conversation about the Chocoate Chai. His reaction was that some store partners must’ve talked to me about it already – “leaked it.” I tried to explain to him that with social media – facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and so on and there are blogs and MSI threads! … it’s now common that customers know what’s coming. He was a totally nice guy, and it was a pleasant conversation, but I was under the impression that he just wasn’t online much. Sometimes, the things that partners think are secrets have already had their complete press releases, as in the case with the Evolution Harvest snack.
The mini PSL cards were not out as of yesterday anywhere. But today – soon – I will be at Starbucks for fall launch! I’ll be out the door in about a half hour! 🙂 Looking forward to today!
Melody the mini psl cards were out yesterday at my local store as well as all the new evolution fresh items and mugs, etc. I have to laugh about the response from that partner. I get the same kind of response from the SM and DM even though at this point they know I know more than the average customer. They usually just accept it and even at times I seem to know more than the SM. I am hoping it is because he does not keep up with his readings as much as he should!!!!
Hmm, I got the bonus star email (and the one for the PSL tumbler) but I didn’t get any of the others DadCooks mentioned. However, I didn’t get bonus stars for my transactions on Saturday or Monday :/
But I did happen upon the Rewards+ Sweepstakes accidentally last week while checking my Star Dash progress and entered that.
@The Kwan – glad I could point you to the contests/sweepstakes that seem to be the new Rewards+ benefit.
I think one of the reason the Rewards+ is not on mobile devices is that if they continue as in the first two you have to view several webpages with information and maybe a video to help you learn about a Starbucks product (i.e., the Verismo, different coffees, etc.).
@SnowWhite, I am the most frequent and highest dollar customer in my family (need to find a 12-step program 😉 ) and recently I have been receiving the fewest email offers/promos. I am starting to feel used.
As a starbucks partner I use my partner card as my gold card and use it for food during my shift or when I come in to het smacks and drinks for myself and my kids when im not working. My husband has my starbucks account on his phone as well and he uses my rewards for his purchases. We also go to Disney World and use the rewards at disney because I don’t receive my discount there. They’ve also added rewards to coffee purchased at a grocery store so you get a star for buying coffee outside of starbucks.
I made 2 separate purchases yesterday after 2 pm and only got 2 stars… Don’t know…
@Jenny – there’s a question on the Customer Service page that addresses the Bonus Star issues (http://customerservice.starbucks.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2483/):
Where’s my bonus star?
Published 09/03/2013 04:48 PM | Updated 09/03/2013 04:49 PM
We are so sorry. Unfortunately we’re experiencing a delay in placing those bonus stars onto your account.
Rest assured we are working on getting this fixed.
I logged into my account to check the Bonus Star progress and noticed there’s a new Rewards+ challenge posted that started today. Everyone should check their My Rewards Dashboard for it, says you can get an extra star for completing the challenge!
@SnowWhite – where / what is the new rewards + challenge? I didn’t see… 🙁 Thanks
I also don’t see the Rewards+ when I log in online. Maybe because I’m in Canada?
Another interesting sidenote – I just called my local Starbucks regarding participation in the long weekend double star promotion and he thought it was already over! My email definitely says it ends today…
I was making purchases this past long weekend via my iPhone app. and haven’t received the extra bonus rewards. I am a gold card holder. Will the bonuses only apply after the event? Or not at all because I use my app and not my card
@Dave – You should get your bonus stars whether you were using the actual card or the mobile phone app. I checked this morning and saw that my bonus stars had appeared on my phone app (I use the Android app) – Check yours again. Maybe they just got loaded?
Thanks, Melody
I found another bonus star offering in my account today: http://i39.tinypic.com/33e7rth.png when I logged into this page: https://www.starbucks.com/account/home and scrolled down under the section to unlock badges. The Rewards+ offering is on that page too, at the bottom.
As for the Labor Day Bonus Stars, mine have only been loaded for 9/2 and 9/4 but not 8/31. I sent Customer Service an email last Friday about that, but still have not heard back. I don’t feel as though they’re very good about responding quickly to those email requests. @Dave – if yours still aren’t showing up, I’d drop them an email from here: http://customerservice.starbucks.com/app/contact/ask_rewards/
@SnowWhite
how to get the star code, does it end today sep 10? Only for US or Canada is in too?
It ends October 19th. When you buy 4 at home coffee products at a grocery store. They have a code for a star on them. The 1st bag you buy you get a bonus star. The second bag you buy you get a free tall coffee. The third bag you buy you get a free pastry item and the fourth bag you get a $10 gift card. Starbucks added star odes to coffee bags bought at the store to reward gold are members for their purchases out side of Starbucks.